By LESLIE KELLY, SPECIAL TO THE P-I

Published 10:00 pm, Thursday, March 13, 2008

Eat local. Support your region's small farmers. Food is more satisfying when it's sustainable.

This is the mantra of every chef worth his artisan sea salt, as green has become the new black. Yet it wasn't always chic to feed in your own backyard. Before it was cool, The Pike Brewing Co. was sourcing local stuff, starting in the 1990s just steps from its kitchen in the historic Pike Place Market.

The commitment to keeping it local has only grown, especially since the original owners, Charles and Rose Ann Finkel, bought the place back in 2006.

Seafood fans should cheer the pub's under-$20 wild salmon entree, and a Nicoise salad featuring albacore caught by Fishing Vessel St. Jude. The cheese plate is a thing of beauty, featuring some selections that have rinds bathed in one of Pike's ales. And the kitchen isn't skimpy with the Dungeness crab, which appears on pizzas, in chowder and golden cakes.

The Pike Brewing Co. is just this close to being a really good restaurant. There needs to be more attention to detail for that to happen. Still, it's important to remember: This place is a pub, and you don't necessarily bring high expectations to an ultra-casual setting.

For me, dining at The Pike was like seeing a movie that hadn't been hyped and turned out to be a pleasant surprise. For a pub, The Pike's food goes way beyond grub.

During my first dinner, the place felt cavernous. There are nearly 300 seats, and in the summer it's tough to find an open table. But on a quiet Sunday, the hostess sat the few diners in just two sections.

There are endless distractions in the space: a killer collection of vintage beer trays, the requisite tapestry of dogs playing poker, sports-filled TV screens, cases of merchandise, even a beer museum. And then there's the elephant in the middle of the room -- the huge stainless tank that marks the epicenter of this true brewpub.

Pike began in 1989 in a space on Western Avenue as a hand-crafted brewery. The pub opened in 1997 in the multilevel venue that had been Shorey's Bookstore. The Finkels sold it later that year, then traveled to Europe and got hooked on the Slow Food movement. When they returned to Seattle they started a local chapter of Slow Food and dabbled in various food, beer and wine projects. The couple refers to the eight-year hiatus as their sabbatical.

When they bought back Pike, the longtime chef, Gary Marx, opted to stay put. His menu is somewhat limited by the lack of the type of hood used for deep-frying. So the fish and chips are "oven-crisped," which tastes a lot better than the fish sticks the description on the menu evoked.

This pub staple was distinguished by what was inside the fairly bland batter coating: generous pieces of moist halibut. A bottle of artisan malt vinegar accompanied the fish and the slightly soggy steak fries. The side of slaw could have used something to perk it up.

There was no shortage of seasoning on the wild salmon entree. The pub currently is featuring Lummi Island salmon, frozen shortly after it was caught in season. A generous fillet sat on top of white rice and a pool of spicy Thai-style coconut curry sauce. This registered a seven out of 10 on the yum-o-meter. It would have been better without the dry crab "stuffing" and had the salmon not been a shade overcooked. The accompanying fresh spinach, however, was tired and limp.

Now, what beer to pair with this fine fish? How about sipping through a suds sampler? Though I'm a confirmed beer lover, I was charmed by Pike's Pale Ale and the Pike XXXXX Extra Stout, which sat on opposite ends of the recommended tasting order from lightest to darkest. The six 4-ounce glasses were arranged on a wooden paddle, a novel serving tray that, unfortunately, was delivered to the table soaking wet. The pleasant server -- who was practicing her karaoke skills as she waited tables, singing along to the oldies soundtrack -- seemed oblivious to the mess.

With the exception of a polished pro named John, service at Pike Brewing Co. was efficient but way casual. The approach fit the laid-back atmosphere, though.

While the hand-crafted ales are the biggest draws, Pike has a shockingly good wine list, too. The all-Northwest selection is short but stellar. Chinook is one of my favorite food-friendly producers, and the list includes the Yakima Valley vintner's outstanding semillon and the off-dry but still pretty-in-pink rosé. It's one of the few lists in Seattle that highlights producers from the Puget Sound appellation, such as Bainbridge Island Vineyards, Lopez Island Vineyards and Mount Baker Vineyards.

I couldn't resist ordering Betz Family's 2004 Clos de Betz, a Bordeaux-style blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, cab franc, petite verdot and malbec. This is a highly allocated wine you're not likely to find on the shelves anymore, and it's reasonably priced on this list at $55. The wine was everything I expected: a beautifully balanced, fruit-forward wine that finished smooth.

Savor this lovely wine while nibbling on the cheese plate featuring selections from Estrella Family Creamery, Quillisascut and River Valley Ranch, and you have the quintessential local dream team. River Valley Ranch, in Falls City, actually feeds its livestock spent grain from the brewing process, making it one of the few truly vertically integrated food products in the region. (I cannot wait until River Valley Ranch's fresh buffalo mozzarella is in season and showing up on top of the excellent Pike Brewing Co.'s margarita pizza. Yes, they actually raise the water buffalo that produce the milk to make a true buffalo mozzarella.)

The Clos de Betz also was a fine match for Pike's version of bangers and mash, featuring a generous portion of bratwurst from Uli's Famous Sausage Co.'s simmered in beer and finished on the grill. The accompanying sauerkraut had a Northwest accent: chopped apples tossed into the mix.

The wonderful kraut overshadowed the ingredients on the Reuben, though. Thin slices of pastrami had the kind of tough, melded-together texture that made me suspect the meat had been nuked. The sandwich also was coated in a spread that didn't taste like butter before being grilled. I think the kitchen can do better.

There was limp pasta featured on a daily special, and an order of crab and shrimp cakes that was heavy on the breading. Penn Cove mussels steamed in a beer-spiked broth weren't as plump as the shellfish I typically associate with the name.

Those disappointments melted away when dessert arrived. I was absolutely smitten by the warm chocolate stout brownie, served with a pitcher of stout-spiked cream sauce. And a berry cobbler hit the perfect pitch between sweet and tart, the combination of blackberries and strawberries tasting like summer. A framboise float -- vanilla ice cream in a raspberry-flavored beer -- was fizzy fun, too.

Pike Brewing Co. is in the process of adding an auxiliary kitchen, which will allow the pub to feature daily fish and steak specials. The new space might inspire the crew to aim a little higher. So the brewpub might one day become as famous for its food as it is for its hand-crafted beers.